No Matter What
by BlackRoseDragonCK
Summary: When Joey is in a fix with his abusive father, how will Yami help him? Who will win...the Shadow Game? NOT YAOI. Rated T for mention of alcohol and gambling by Joey's Dad . I do not own Yugioh.


**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH**

**NOT YAOI. This is a one-shot that takes place during season 0 (though I've used the English names to make things clearer). I've named Joey's dad "Jack Wheeler" (couldn't think of anything else). The inspiration for this fic came from volume two of the season 0 Yugioh manga. There is a scene (in the story where Joey rejoined his middle school gang) where Yugi, Tristan, and Tea go looking for Joey at his house and they are met by Joey's drunk father throwing a bottle at them and yelling "Hey, brat, where've you been the last two days!" This made me wonder what poor Joey goes through whenever he leaves for days on end during the tournaments and thus this story was born XD.**

Perching atop a set of monkey bars, Yugi waited silently with Tristan and Tea. The school bell had sounded ages ago and the excitedly chattering children in their usual gigantic mob rushing off the grounds had dissipated.

Shifting slightly on his seat, Yugi grimaced when a smudge of orange grime came off on his hand. The school really needed to get new playground equipment, for the current was terribly rusted. Yugi sighed and dusted off his hands.

"Man, where is Joey?"

The three friends had been waiting for at least thirty minutes for the Brooklyn boy so they could walk home together….but there was not a trace of him to be found. Finally, Tea let out a sigh and gathered up her books.

"I'm really sorry, guys, but I've got chores to do today. Tell Joey hi for me. See ya on Monday!"

Glancing worriedly back at the school, Tristan followed suit, saying he had to baby-sit his nephew and telling Yugi goodbye. The spiky-haired teen sighed and leaned his head back, squinting his amethyst eyes against the blazing afternoon sun. Just as he was about to follow his companions' example and hit the road, a familiar blonde head came clambering out the school doors towards the playground.

Breathing hard, Joey slowed his pace to a stop and gave a salute wave to Yugi when he reached the monkey bars.

"Hey, Joey, we were all waiting for you. Where've you been?"

"Uh…sorry, 'Yuge," the Brooklyn boy lamented, looking uncharacteristically troubled. "I uh….had a lot on my mind today."

It was then that the star-headed boy noticed a nasty bruise on his friend's face. Pointing at it, he concernedly inquired, "Joey, what happened to your face?"

"Nothin'…." Joey quickly turned his head to conceal the wound. "Nothin', I'm fine."

"Joey…"

The blonde tried to brush it off….but found that he could not escape the unwavering concern in Yugi's round eyes. He sighed.

"All right, fine….my old man and I got into a bit of an argument last night. I was late for school this morning 'cuz of him. That's why it took me longer to get out today."

"Is that all?" Yugi noted the troubled look still present in Joey's chocolate eyes. "What were you arguing about?"

"Well….I came home too late last night after a duel I had with some street punks. Dad went into one of his rages…did this to my face….and then locked my cards away in a safe. He keeps the key around his neck so I can't get to 'em." The blonde hung his head sadly. "Ugh…I dunno, it just don't feel right, Yugi…..not havin' my cards… I don't know if Dad'll ever give em' back to me."

An uncharacteristic anger was ignited within Yugi, making him draw a breath in surprise…and fear. He'd been having these little rage flares ever since he solved the Millennium Puzzle….and they always resulting in him blacking out.

Desperately, he tried to fight back the strange urge pressing at his mind….but could not, and his consciousness was replaced by another…..another Yugi that is. This Yugi was a little taller and more toned, with black-rimmed, piercing eyes the color of freshly drawn blood. His red, blond, and black hair was styled into slicker, more deadly-looking spikes and his voice was deep and hypnotic. This being, who called himself "Yami", had an air of power and intimidation radiating from his core, rather than Yugi's shyness and timidity.

Noticing the sudden change in his friend, Joey blinked, but didn't say anything. It was probably just his tired, over-stressed mind playing tricks on him….

"Joey," Yami said, making the blonde jump in surprise at the sudden commanding essence in his voice. "Let me accompany you home. I will convince your father to give back your cards."

"Nah, don't worry about it, 'Yuge," the blonde waved the thought away. "If he won't listen to me, he won't listen to you—"

"Trust me, Joey. I WILL get your deck back…but only if you let me help you."

Joey stared at him for a moment….into those eyes that seemed to burn right into his soul. He shrugged, and nodded, leading the way to his apartment complex.

Not only was the building in an iffy part of town, it was extremely dilapidated. Grey smudges were present all over the stark white stone walls, cracks appeared at every window, and several gaping holes in the roof suggested the presence of leaks during storms. A few dried up trees rested at the corners of the property along with cars that looked like they were on their last legs.

Leading Yami inside, Joey suggested they take the stairs to his third floor apartment since the elevator had been sticking a lot lately. They ascended footprint-stained stairs, their footsteps reverberating loudly though the vacant passage until they finally reached the third floor. After a few more minutes of walking, Joey finally arrived at his door and inserted the key into the lock.

He motioned for Yami to wait for a moment, easing the door open. He then closed it quickly and the shrill sound of a bottle breaking against the wood stung Yami's ears.

"Hey, you brat!" a gruff, angry voice snarled from inside the apartment. "Finally decided to come home for once?"

The blonde's jaw tensed and he reopened the door, gesturing at his guest to stay behind him. Upon stepping into the apartment, Yami was hit with the inescapable smell of beer. The glass of the broken wine bottle crunched beneath his shoes, seeming horribly loud in the eerie silence of the room. Looking around, the red-eyed teen saw crumpled up pieces of paper and bottles scattered everywhere. A few of the paper slips were gambling tickets….while others were bills that had yet to be paid.

Entering into the living room, Joey's father, Jack Wheeler, finally came into view. Sitting on a patched up couch with his feet on the coffee table, he was a largely-built man with messy blonde hair much like his son's and a face full of stubble. He wore an old grey shirt with ripped jeans and brown combat boots, looking every bit strong enough to cause the bruise on Joey's face. Although Jack's eyes were rimmed with dark circles and shadowed by deep anger, Yami could sense that he had indeed been pleasant at one time….but that part of him had died long ago, replaced by a drunken darkness driven by the thrill of gambling.

Narrowing those eyes, Jack growled, "Who's this? You know I don't like visitors!"

"I am Yugi Mutou," Yami replied, unabashed by the man's gruffness. "I heard about you and your son's disagreement… and I'm here to convince you to give Joey's cards back."

Mr. Wheeler let out a rasping laugh. "Look, kid…I don't know who you think you are, but Joey here is MY son. I'LL decide when to give back the stuff I've taken from him….just like I ALWAYS have…now why don't you get outta here before I get irritated."

"Very well," Yami smirked, ruby eyes flashing dangerously. "You leave me no choice. It's game time."

"Wha?" both Wheelers gave the spiky-haired youth a confused look as he continued.

"I hear you're partial to a little GAMBLE. Well I've got a challenge for you. If you win, I'll get out of your hair and never come back again. If I win….you have to give Joey back his deck and you'll never mention this again."

"Interesting…" Jack raised his eyebrows. "All right….you've caught me in a good mood and I ain't got nothin' to do….what are the rules to this little game?"

"Give me a moment and I'll have it all set up."

Yami disappeared into the kitchen and came back holding around twelve identical cans of miniature soda cans. He set them down on the coffee table and began popping their metal coverings off one by one until they were all open. With this done, he pulled a small vile of some unknown clear liquid from his jacket.

"This is an extremely powerful form of alcohol. Just this small amount is enough to make one completely intoxicated…don't ask me how I got it, because that's not important." Yami got on his knees before the short table and handed the vile to a perplexed Joey. "Joey will pour this liquid into one of the soda cans. While our eyes are closed, he will then shuffle the cans around, and we have the task of drinking one during each of our turns. Whoever stumbles across the can with the alcohol…loses. If you cheat, you have to play a…" he glanced at Joey. "A minor penalty game. Do you understand?"

Jack chortled sardonically. "Sure. Just know, I'm not gonna be responsible when you stumble outta here after drinking the spiked can, got it?"

"Of course," the sly gamer grinned with impish excitement. "Joey, will you do the honors?"

The blonde gave a nervous sigh and poured the liquid into one of the middle cans. Before he could recoil, Mr. Wheeler clamped his hand over his son's and squeezed it painfully on the can's top.

"No tricks, brat," he growled. "You'll be sorry."

Both competitors closed their eyes and the only sound that was heard was the dragging of light metal across the wooden surface. When Joey gave them the okay, they both opened their eyes….and Yami recited his usual catch phrase:

"Game Start."

Jack grabbed one of the cans and guzzled down its contents, tossing it aside and casually staring at his opponent.

"Well? Your turn, kid."

Yami's crimson eyes flicked from can to can, his sharp mind buzzing with agitated thoughts. He knew that something HAD to be wrong. Why did Mr. Wheeler seem so confident? Was it because he truly had nothing to lose and nothing to gain? No…his pride was too over-inflated for that…so what was it? The youth chose his can and drank it, relieved that it wasn't the intoxicated one.

Again, Jack nonchalantly chose and consumed his drink. After throwing it away, he passed a hand over his eyes as if tired….but was REALLY trying to suppress a nagging smirk. He had indeed cheated….in quite a clever way. When he'd clamped his hand over Joey's, he'd squeezed it not for the sole purpose of causing the boy pain…but to create a dent with his thumb on the side of the can. That way, he could tell which cans were safe and which was the spiked one.

Regaining his composure, Jack took his hand away and noticed the spiky-haired kid shifting slightly. He smirked figuring the boy was fidgeting from fear. A few turns later, the gambling man almost burst out laughing…..when he saw Yami raising a dented can to his lips. He drank its contents…and Jack finally let loose his laughter.

"Hahahaaa! Looks like I win!" the man cackled triumphantly. "Now get outta my sight ya idiotic kid." He grabbed a random can and gulped the soda.

However…quite the contrary to being intoxicated….Yami's lips twisted into a devilish grin. "No….I'm the winner."

Jack was about to ask what he meant…when a strange sensation shot throughout his body. His head went numb and his limbs….felt like lead. He frantically examined his can…and was horrified to find the tell-tale indentation on the rim.

"What…how d-did you…" he glanced at his dented can and at Yami's, completely dumbfounded.

Yami's grin widened. "Did you really think I wasn't able to see through your little can trick? Before I brought these sodas in here, I was sure to inspect them—to make sure they were ALL identical. Therefore, when I saw a suddenly dented can in the midst….I thought it quite strange….but I figured it out. So when you were having your mental victory lap, I dented my own can in order to lull you into a false sense of confidence."

The elder Wheeler stammered and stuttered, but couldn't seem to come up with a scathing response due to his rapidly dulling mind.

"I knew you couldn't resist cheating. It's just pathetic that you couldn't play honorably, even in a game where you had nothing to lose and nothing to gain."

"You…YOU…!" Jack whirled around….on Joey. "YOU BRAT! YOU SET ME UP! I KNOW YOU DID! YOU'LL BE SORRY, YOU LITTLE—"

He raised his arm and the Brooklyn boy cringed, anticipating the blow.

It never came.

Jack gasped when an iron grip fastened painfully around his forearm. Eyes bugging, he turned around…to see the spiky-headed kid.

Yami's eyes gleamed blood-like, narrowed into angry slits and seeming to claw right into his enemy's soul. The Eye of Horus glowed wickedly on his forehead…and suddenly, the hand that clutched at Jack's arm tightened.

"Penalty game…" he growled, his haunting voice dripping with deadly venom. "Mind Erase!"

Almost immediately, Mr. Wheeler's eyes went blank….and he collapsed onto the couch in a dead sleep. Joey looked momentarily concerned, but Yami explained,

"He's fine. He'll have a bit of a headache when he wakes up,, but he'll be okay…and he won't remember any of this…even that he took your cards away. Speaking of that…." The teen bent down and retrieved the safe key from Jack's neck. "Let's get your deck back, shall we?"

After claiming Joey's cards, both boys set off towards the Game Shop. Joey remained silent for awhile before finally saying,

"Thanks, 'Yuge. I owe ya one."

"Don't worry about it."

"But it's true!" the blonde shot him a guilty look. "You've always got my back….you're always havin' to deal with MY problems…..hard as I try NOT to, I always end up gettin' you involved and in danger. You've pulled my fat outta the fire more times than I can count…"

"That's what friends do," the ruby-eyed teen gave him a sincere smile. "I'll always be there for you, Joey. No matter what."

Then, Yami raised his hand into the familiar thumbs up position…and winked….just like always.

**Behold the product of insomnia XD! I hope you liked and please review :). Please no flames.**

**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH**


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